§ MR. W. J. CORBETasked the Chief Secretary to the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Whether, as President of the Local Government Board, his attention has been directed to the table of expenditure of Poor Rates for twenty-one years, as printed at page 19 in the last Report of the Board; whether it is a fact that the total expenditure for the year 1883 was £1,326,963, as against £716,523 in 1863, or an increase of £610,440; whether he has observed, at page 9, that the inmates of workhouses have decreased from 206,504 in January 1851 to 49,884 in 1884; whether he has noticed that the cost for maintenance, including out-door relief, and the blind and deaf and dumb in extern hospitals, is £669,382, while the salaries and rations of officers are given at £137,025 and "other expenses" £236,438, as against £96,222 and £105,821 in 1863; whether, as the expenses under the Medical Charities, Burial Grounds, Registration, Sanitary, Contagious Diseases, Superannuation, and National School Teachers Acts are all excluded, he can say what items are included under the head of "other expenses;" what is the cause of the annual increase of establishment charges concurrently with the decrease of population; and, can anything be done to put a stop to it?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANThe figures given by the hon. Member are correctly quoted; but he has not taken the same years in his comparison of the expenditure with the number of inmates. Under the heading "other expenses" are included all establishment charges other than the salaries and rations of officers, such as expenses for furniture, implements, fuel, light, books, printing, stationery, drugs, medical and surgical appliances, rent, taxes, and so forth. The increase of establishment charges to which the hon. Member alludes is in a large measure due to the increased cost of the rations of officers, of which some idea may be formed from the fact that within the past 20 years the cost of inmates of the workhouse for provisions and officers has increased 40 or 50 per cent. The Local Government Board are not aware that there has been any undue expenditure, and every proposed increase of salary or emoluments is carefuly scrutinized.
§ MR. W. J. CORBETasked whether, under the heading "other expenses," any extra charges were made for duties performed by the officers of Poor Law Guardians in connection with other matters?
§ MR. CAMPBELL-BANNERMANI have seen a list this day, and my impression is that nothing of the kind is allowed.